Information about Seattle, please!

[grumpeeduck]

I can vouch for grumpeeduck's account!! I even wonder if we were in the same school! It was awful and the staff and parents, etc were very uncaring. I pulled my 3rd grader due to a lacksidaisical attitude about education and home-schooled her. Then, we put her in the private school there and it was fantastic. I wouldn't recommend Puyallup to my worst enemy!
I too complained about the playground--open all the way around and anyone couldd come in. They were out there in pouring rain all hudled under the one fixture with a roof, just standing there shivering. Not everyone could fit so some got soaked. When I said something, I was told that that is the teacher's time and they don't want them in the classrooms.
Lunches were nasty! Green hotdogs that bounced. No computers, no art, no PE for young grades, I could go on forever!
Most improtantly, teachers were not current on teaching trends and administartion wasn't willing to do anything new. They taught to the tests, which in their defense is the worst state test I've ever seen.
I'm sure that Seattle is more "up-to-date" in education and every other way that Puyallup was backward. The moral of this story is don't live in PUYALLUP

Thanks! I thought the OP asked for honest answers and I gave them. I would hope that anyone moving to a new area would want the good, the bad, and the ugly. I could only give "bad and ugly", and sometimes the truth isn't pretty, but it is the truth just the same. Our elementary school was Pope,and what you describe sounds identical! Was that your school?

 

[wilderness01]

Me? You want the honest answer?

The weather, the rain, I don't find 50-60 degrees and wet "comfortable" at all.

The people I met were snobby and elitist while trying to cultivate the "hippy" vibe. The "Oregon Native" mentality. I didn't like being looked down upon because I wasn't born and raised in Oregon (or the Pacific NW.)

I lived there 2 years and didn't make 1 new friend. I never saw my neighbors. My coworkers didn't do anything together. It wasn't that they didn't like me, they just went to work and then went back to their little cliques. No one socialized with anyone. DH's work was the same way. His was slightly better because they had a few more transplants but the "locals" never welcomed any of the transplants into their communities. The transplants hung out together but the locals had their friends and made it very clear they weren't interested in anyone new.

There was no sense of community. In fact, we were made to feel very much like we didn't belong there.

Harsh, maybe. But that was my experience. I had lived in 3 states before Oregon and have lived in 4 more since and the experience has always been positive so I don't really think it was me.

What's funny is that my best friend is from Bend. I do miss McMenamins. We've been back to visit the area since a lot of family is in Seattle and my inlaws are in central Oregon but living there was not for me at all!

I'm sure people would say the same thing about places I loved...like Texas!

Wow, I'm so sorry for your bad experience. We had no experience like that at all. I found the people to be so nice, too nice actually. I will agree there is no culture there at all, but the people were so friendly.

Glad you were able to move out of there.

 

[sammiwa]

One thing that RadioNate said reminded me. The Seattle area is a tough area for making friends. Everyone I have talked to about it agrees. It's a wonderful place, and people are really nice...but trying to get people to open up and become friends with them? SUPER hard. People seem to be comfortable with their circles and they don't need to go outside of them. All of our good friends are from out of state :lol:

 

[CruisinEars]

Do have a daughter that plays on a select Fastpitch team? Your description is eerily similar to one of the parents on DD's team. Just curios...

Sorry, no. My dd is 9 and is a cheerleader.

 

[goofy's friends]

Thanks! I thought the OP asked for honest answers and I gave them. I would hope that anyone moving to a new area would want the good, the bad, and the ugly. I could only give "bad and ugly", and sometimes the truth isn't pretty, but it is the truth just the same. Our elementary school was Pope,and what you describe sounds identical! Was that your school?

It sounds like we had identical experiences, but our school was Brouillet. If I'm remembering correctly they were fairly close together. It was the system as a whole--very sad for those kids.

 

[hambirg]

I have to laugh about the way you are all talking about Puyallup! I'm a native South Sounder and Puyallup is actually pretty nice. It sits in a valley between Mt.Rainier and Puget Sound. Traditionally it was a farming community. Downtown is very walkable and filled with antique shops and boutiques. There are many nice parks and lots of Arts and Community types of events.

The South Sound is kind of looked down upon from those further up north. But it is just as nice as going north, getting better the further you get away from Seattle. I drive all over the region for my job. . . Burien, Seatac and DesMoines aren't any worse than Shoreline. Lynnwood isn't any nicer than Kent, Auburn and Federal Way. I much prefer Tacoma to Everett and Puyallup is about equivalent to Marysville.

The whole Puyallup being a horrible place made me curious, because I've lived in the South Sound my whole life and people actually consider Puyallup and the surrounding areas. .Bonney Lake, etc to be nice. People have moved to those areas in groves. So. . .anywhoo. . .according to the data on neighborhoodscout.com Puyallup Schools are ranked 8 out of 10. . .76.4% better than all other schools in Washington State. It's also an 8 out of 10 when compared to US districts and 71.7% better than all other school districts in the US. Those stats seem to be more in line with what I would suspect.

The East side is very nice. . .I'm not arguing that. It's also very expensive. There are many nice areas in the region and Puget Sound as a whole is very livable.

As far as the weather. . .yes it drizzles here from fall til spring, but we don't let that stop us at all. I personally love the temperate climate. . .never too hot, never too cold.

There is an abundance of things to do in the region. And since we are basically locked between the mountains and the sound nothing is ever that far away.

The part about the churches is right. I think there are plenty, but we are way below the national average for percentage of the population that belongs to a church (national was around 50% and here the WA avg was around 20%).

But I do think that this area is so diverse that there's a little bit of everything and something for everybody. If you seek it out you will find it.

 

[LaurenLC]

Thanks! I thought the OP asked for honest answers and I gave them. I would hope that anyone moving to a new area would want the good, the bad, and the ugly. I could only give "bad and ugly", and sometimes the truth isn't pretty, but it is the truth just the same. Our elementary school was Pope,and what you describe sounds identical! Was that your school?

I do want honest feedback, but there is such a thing as beating a dead horse. You had a bad experience, and I'm sorry for that. You do seem to use words like every and always quite a bit, which makes me think you might be exaggerating your experience a little. Also, not being able to find one positive thing seems either slightly unreasonable or unfair. Nonetheless, I do appreciate your feedback!

 

[grumpeeduck]

It sounds like we had identical experiences, but our school was Brouillet. If I'm remembering correctly they were fairly close together. It was the system as a whole--very sad for those kids.

I remember that Brouillet seemed to be ranked the same as Pope-now we know that it really didn't matter what it ranked! It was horrific! Didn't that school feed into Stahl Middle School? I think I might have voted at Brouillet.

To the OP-I came on here to give honest answers to your questions, and gave truthful examples of MY family's experiences while there to help YOU not make the same mistakes. How dare you to tell me that I exaggerated-my family was in a very bad situation, and who in the world are you to judge MY experiences.

 

[LaurenLC]

I remember that Brouillet seemed to be ranked the same as Pope-now we know that it really didn't matter what it ranked! It was horrific! Didn't that school feed into Stahl Middle School? I think I might have voted at Brouillet.

To the OP-I came on here to give honest answers to your questions, and gave truthful examples of MY family's experiences while there to help YOU not make the same mistakes. How dare you to tell me that I exaggerated-my family was in a very bad situation, and who in the world are you to judge MY experiences.

I'm truly sorry for upsetting you, that wasn't my intention. I just don't understand how you aren't able to say one nice thing about your experience. All positive feedback isn’t helpful, but neither is all negative.

 

[goofy's friends]

I have to laugh about the way you are all talking about Puyallup! I'm a native South Sounder and Puyallup is actually pretty nice. It sits in a valley between Mt.Rainier and Puget Sound. Traditionally it was a farming community. Downtown is very walkable and filled with antique shops and boutiques. There are many nice parks and lots of Arts and Community types of events.

The South Sound is kind of looked down upon from those further up north. But it is just as nice as going north, getting better the further you get away from Seattle. I drive all over the region for my job. . . Burien, Seatac and DesMoines aren't any worse than Shoreline. Lynnwood isn't any nicer than Kent, Auburn and Federal Way. I much prefer Tacoma to Everett and Puyallup is about equivalent to Marysville.

The whole Puyallup being a horrible place made me curious, because I've lived in the South Sound my whole life and people actually consider Puyallup and the surrounding areas. .Bonney Lake, etc to be nice. People have moved to those areas in groves. So. . .anywhoo. . .according to the data on neighborhoodscout.com Puyallup Schools are ranked 8 out of 10. . .76.4% better than all other schools in Washington State. It's also an 8 out of 10 when compared to US districts and 71.7% better than all other school districts in the US. Those stats seem to be more in line with what I would suspect.

The East side is very nice. . .I'm not arguing that. It's also very expensive. There are many nice areas in the region and Puget Sound as a whole is very livable.

As far as the weather. . .yes it drizzles here from fall til spring, but we don't let that stop us at all. I personally love the temperate climate. . .never too hot, never too cold.

There is an abundance of things to do in the region. And since we are basically locked between the mountains and the sound nothing is ever that far away.

The part about the churches is right. I think there are plenty, but we are way below the national average for percentage of the population that belongs to a church (national was around 50% and here the WA avg was around 20%).

But I do think that this area is so diverse that there's a little bit of everything and something for everybody. If you seek it out you will find it.

The high ranking of schools is what drew us to Puyallup. Sadly, those rankings are based on test scores and nothing else. Like I said, they teach the test and nothing else..thus the high score. We did find a church that we loved, the view was lovely (when the "mountain was out"), the private school there is a gem! The negatives just outweigh the positives! However, there are many places in the Seattle area and I'm sure the OP won't consider Puyallup now!!

In Grumpeeduck's defense, she is just trying to warn the OP and she is accurate as I had the exact same experience! She did say the view was nice!

 

[grumpeeduck]

My husband is interviewing for a position in Seattle and I was hoping to get some information about the area, specifically, where to live…… What are some nice suburbs around Seattle? Areas with safe communities, good schools, etc. Any additional insight into the area would be GREATLY appreciated. I’m just trying to prepare myself just in case we end up moving!

OP, you said nothing about wanting the "rose colored glasses" approach. But now that you have decided that you do.........here are some positives: Starbucks was necessary everyday-made the day a little brighter somehow, the Northwest Trek-a zoo of sorts was fun on occasion, Mt. Rainier was a pretty drive although a little scary-it is a volcano. Sorry, that's all. To me, those trivial things do not answer the really important, and critical "where to live", "schools", and "safe communities" questions that YOU asked.

 

[grumpeeduck]

The high ranking of schools is what drew us to Puyallup. Sadly, those rankings are based on test scores and nothing else. Like I said, they teach the test and nothing else..thus the high score. We did find a church that we loved, the view was lovely (when the "mountain was out"), the private school there is a gem! The negatives just outweigh the positives! However, there are many places in the Seattle area and I'm sure the OP won't consider Puyallup now!!

In Grumpeeduck's defense, she is just trying to warn the OP and she is accurate as I had the exact same experience! She did say the view was nice!

The rankings drew us there as well, that's why I have to wonder if many of our experiences truly are the "norm" for the area. It's nice to hear how similar our experiences were, but so sorry you had them. What church did you find?

 

[goofy's friends]

The rankings drew us there as well, that's why I have to wonder if many of our experiences truly are the "norm" for the area. It's nice to hear how similar our experiences were, but so sorry you had them. What church did you find?

I think it is the "norm", but people don't realize it's unusual since it's all they know. It IS nice to know that someone else felt exactly the same way! We went to High Pointe Community Church...it met at Emerald Ridge and was a great church! It was a life-saver too when they put a Target/shopping center in on the South end of Meridian--made life just a little brighter for me! Were you there at that time?

 

[bethy]

I am truly sorry you had such an awful experience, grumpeeduck. And I am so sad for the kids in those schools you described.

I have lived in other places and do also understand the concept of true culture shock and how different people and lifestyles can be between large geographical areas. Based on that experience I know I would have a very tough time adjusting to and enjoying Alabama and probably anywhere in the Deep South. I have been there and it is indeed a totally different world from the one I'm used to - even in the nicer communities. I like to think I could do it but who knows until I actually tried it?

And that's OK - it's about different strokes and also about how we were each raised.

 

[grumpeeduck]

I think it is the "norm", but people don't realize it's unusual since it's all they know. It IS nice to know that someone else felt exactly the same way! We went to High Pointe Community Church...it met at Emerald Ridge and was a great church! It was a life-saver too when they put a Target/shopping center in on the South end of Meridian--made life just a little brighter for me! Were you there at that time?

OMG! We visited High Pointe a few times. It was in the Emerald Ridge High School at the time, and that Pastor was from Texas and was sent there sort of on a mission to that area. If I remember correctly, his wife was having a difficult time there as well. We lived right across street in that neighborhood in Deer Ridge. No, we never saw the new Target-I had to drive FAR to the Wal-Mart! We were there late summer 2004-April 2005. Were you there during that time?

 

[goofy's friends]

Yes!!! Open your PM box for messages and we can chat

 

[pixiemel]

Yes!!! Open your PM box for messages and we can chat

I sent a pm, but I am not sure it is working or I may be doing something wrong!